Cycling and Luas Cross City report to be finalised next month

A report on cycling along the Luas Cross City route should be finalised next month, the National Transport Authority said yesterday evening.

Dermot O’Gara, a spokesman for the National Transport Authority, said: “The final report is likely to be completed in the next month or so, with implementation taking place thereafter and before Luas Cross City becomes fully operational.”

Advise against cycling at the Dominick Street-Parnell Street junction (south-bound);

Provide a cycle crossing of rails between Western Way and Temple Cottages;

Install box turns at junctions, both signalised and unsignalised; and

Provide road markings for guidance to ensure rail crossings are undertaken by cyclists
as close to 90 degrees as possible.

The draft report states: “Where there is no space on links to accommodate cycling, cycling should not be accommodated and alternative alignments identified and developed.”

It adds: “Where crossing angles are too acute, crossings at or close to 90 degrees should be provided or, if
this is not possible, cycling should not be accommodated”.

Reacting to the report after The Irish Times published an outline of it, Cyclist.ie said on Facebook: “Cyclist.ie has long held the view that the Luas tram rails would render a lot of the city inaccessible to people who want to cycle there. Luas (Transport Infrastructure Ireland) has refused to deploy rail flange filler at critical crossing points for cyclists citing cost factors.”

It added: “We know that lots of cyclists have been thrown from their bikes already during the long construction phase. We have featured this regularly in posts. We have called on social media for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, the Health and Safety Authority and the HSE to publicly declare the number of such falls but without any declaration, so far. We have a parliamentary question with the relevant Minister(s) at present to elicit this data.”

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11 Comments

With respect to Dawson Street – that’s a major ‘desire line’ for cyclists because there’s no-where else for them to go from Stephen’s Green to get down to Trinity College and Dame Street. Yes, they could walk down Grafton Street, but they just won’t go that way.

Whomever proposed this ridiculous action concerning banning bikes from Dawson Street clearly does not cycle. This is patently stupid and doesn’t understand cyclist behavior around this part of the city. Do they really expect cyclists to deviate all the way around to George’s Street? It’s completely bonkers!!!

This is completely bonkers. Were this to be enforced then cycling rates would plummet in the city.

Grafton street between college green and Nassau street is a Major cycling route for cross city cycling in all directions, you can’t propose removing this route without providing an attractive nearby alternative. It’s irresponsible.

Is this report merely them covering their asses? So when people start getting injured/dying they can attempt to abdicate responsibility by pointing to the fact that cycling is not advised?

AFAIK there are no proposals contained in the draft report to remedy the removal of grafton street as a route. Hopefully the full report is not so threadbare.

The contra flow on Nassau is only proposed between Kildare and Dawson streets as a means of access to Dawson street, as cycling access to Dawson street will be severed at its southern end.

Diverting to Camden/Wexford/Aungier/George’s street is also a big diversion if going to or coming from points east or southeast of grafton street. Additionally, there is no legal route that doesn’t require dismounting from Druy street to the college green area.

To make these bans even kind-of work requires contraflows throughout the area between grafton/dame/George’s streets. It also requires the implementation of contraflow/proper cycling lanes on Pearse street and all around Stephen’s Green (if everyone is to be diverted that way).

The northside bans are of a lesser degree, they are fewer and don’t really block to many desire lines (still regressive though).

As somebody who cycled (and motorbiked) in Holland years ago it is easy to avoid getting caught up in the tracks, but learning by exposure is not the way. Some education is needed.
It seems to me that the core problem with the current program is that cycling is still not being given priority over cars.
There is lots of space for cycling in Dublin once we stop prioritising cars and car parking.
We are not really getting behind this yet.
Finally, as most cyclists are motorists also we need to refute the suggestion that we are not paying “road tax”.

What an unmitigated disaster, but why am I surprised? If you allow the designers of the Cross City route to totally ignore the needs of cyclists, if the NTA fail to represent those needs at the design consultation stage and if you only consider those needs when the route is laid and cast in concrete, of course you will end up with a report that recommends closing off major through routes for cyclists in the city centre.
I had foolishly thought that cycling was now recognised as a significant mode of transport in Dublin but this debacle clearly indicates we are at the bottom of the pile and only tolerated if we don’t get in the way.

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